1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a 3-D imaging system, and more particularly to a motion picture, television (TV), and computer 3-D imaging system for projecting 3-D panoramic images of an object to a viewer with standard equipment and without the use of special glasses.
2. Description of Related Art
The phenomenon of creating the appearance of 3-D images is known to those skilled the art. First, an object is photographed or filmed from specific right and left angles simulating the pair of human eyes. Then, when viewing the picture that has been captured from the right angle with the right eye, and the picture that has been shot from the left angle with the left eye, the mind of the viewer perceives a 3-D image with depth and focus. The following art defines the present state of this field:
Eichenlaub, U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,949 discloses a flat screen 3-D display for bright wide angle 3-D images employs a flat screen on which are displayed a plurality of thin, vertical light emitting lines. A light valve located in front of the screen forms images by varying the transparency of individual pixels arranged in a raster pattern across its surface. The screen and light valve are arranged in such a way that an observer sees the light emitting lines through one set of pixels with the left eye and the same lines through a different set of pixels with the right eye.
Eichenlaub, U.S. Pat. No. 4,367,486 discloses reflected illuminating radiation that is transmitted through a restricted window in an opaque surface undergoing scanning movement to project an image pattern on a closely spaced imaging surface from which the image pattern is reproduced on a viewing screen. The viewing screen is locally variable in transparency to provide images of objects viewed by observers with parallax.
Yoshimura, U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,944 discloses a 3-D image signal processing device which provides that, while a 3-D image signal in the form of a plurality of types of time-divisionally multiplexed image information signals is input thereto, a prescribed one of the plurality of types of image information signals is sampled from the input 3-D image signal by detecting the time of changeover between any two types of all the image information signals, and is memorized so that, by using the memorized image information signal, only the prescribed type of image information signal is output.
Lipton, U.S. Pat. No. 4,562,463 discloses a 3-D television system comprising single or double camera designs adapted to televise twin perspective points of view, which are the source for encoding alternate odd and even fields with right and images, and a television receiver for displaying such images with either passive or infra-red signaled or internally clock controlled active selection devices. The receiver and the embodiment of the camera use field storage devices to record picture information in an appropriate sequence in such a manner to eliminate flicker and to overcome spurious temporal parallax effects. The receiver uses monochromatic or color television tubes, like those of present manufacture, but employs means to double the scan rate so that, for example, an effective 60 fields for each eye for domestic receivers, and 50 fields for each eye, for certain foreign receivers, is achieved. Field storage of buffer circuits allow the doubling of the number of fields without doubling the bandwidth. The receiver incorporates circuits for charging and synchronizing the phase of electro-optical shutters in individual selection devices of the active kind, or for activating an electro-optical material overlaid on the CRT which can rotate polarization in synchronization with the right and image fields to operate in conjunction with polarized selection devices of the passive kind.
Ikushima et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,393,400 discloses a flickerless 3-D TV viewing system that is designed to be used with a single TV receiver set and with a set of 3-D glasses composed of light shutters. The system includes a signal-distributor, a set of memory devices, a signal-selector, a synchronous signal separator, a discriminator and a timing circuit. the system is very comfortable for the viewer during 3-D TV viewing.
Faris, U.S. Pat. No. 5,537,144 discloses an electro-optical display system for visually displaying a polarized spatially multiplexed image (SMI) of a 3-D object for use in 3-D viewing thereof with high image quality and resolution. In the illustrative embodiment, electro-optical display system comprises a liquid crystal display device and micropolarization panel of electrically-passive construction. The liquid crystal display device has a display surface for visually displaying a composite pixel pattern representative of a spatially multiplexed image composed of first and second spatially modulated perspective images of the object, consisting of first and second pixel patterns. The micropolarization panel includes an optically transparent laminate portion and an optically transparent substrate portion which is in direct physical contact with the laminate portion. First and second optically transparent patterns are permanently formed I the optically transparent laminate portion. The first optically transparent pattern spatially corresponds to and is spatially aligned with the first pixel pattern displayed on the display surface so as to impart a first polarization state P1 to light emanating from the first pixel pattern and passing through the first optically transparent pattern. The second optically transparent pattern spatially corresponds to and is spatially aligned with the second pixel pattern displayed on the display surface so as to impart a second polarization state P2 to light emanating from the second pixel pattern and passing through the second optically transparent pattern.
Imsand, U.S. Pat. No. 4,006,291 discloses a method and apparatus for producing a three dimensional television image by presenting stereoptican pairs of images to the viewers eyes. One of the stereoptican partners is presented most of the time while the second stereoptican partner is flashed on and off rapidly. Under the proper conditions with the second stereoptican partner being flashed on for a suitably short period of time at the proper repetition rate, the viewer is not consciously aware of its presence and effectively perceives the picture as a three dimensional image.
Collender, U.S. Pat. No. 4,323,920 discloses a 3-D television without glasses having horizontal parallax and operating over standard single channel bandwidth which is implemented by using two television cameras aligned in the same plane, 2:1 bandwidth compression and a receiver that processes the two views one scan line at a time using successive element correlation within common scan lines to synthesize N views in-between the two received views. The television receiver/projector contains an optical scanner with a central projection lamp, N+2 small full frame Charge Couple Device Liquid Crystal Light Valve (CCDLCLV) televiews of the scene. N+2 views are sequentially projected by the optical scanner to a semi-specular screen that returns all projected light to a horizontally moving vertical aerial exit slit (having no physical properties) resulting in the accurate reconstruction of continuous scene horizontal parallax for simultaneous view by several observers.
Projecting an image so that it appears to project outwards from the TV or other display screen is also known in the art. Machtig at al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,547 discloses a magnified background image spatial object display that exploits a mental trick to create the illusion of a projected image in front of the device. The display uses a projection device such as a CRT to project an image through a convex lens, preferably a Fresnel lens. The Fresnel lens inverts the image and creates the illusion that the image is actually projected in front of the display.
The prior art teaches 3-D imaging technology. However, the prior art does not teach a 3-D technology that uses existing technology and does not require the viewer to wear special glasses. The prior art also does not teach a 3-D system that provides a panoramic image from an ordinary TV or other display. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages as described in the following summary.